Pope Francis: "Corruption is worse than sin"

ROME -- At a meeting of the International Association of Criminal Law, the new Argentine Pope, Francis, in the course of a speech centering on how crime impacts the Church's mission of evangelicalism and promotion of humanity,  He told his audience, "The scandalous concentration of global riches is possibly caused by the connivance between political power and other strong powers, especially that afforded by money. Corruption itself is a process of death and worse than a sin. It is an ill that, more than forgive it, it must be cured." At the same time, the Pope also reminded his audience of the need to adopt legal and political instruments that don't fall prey to the 'mythological logic of the scapegoat', by which he means, according to several interpreters, that individuals are accused unjustly of the ills that befall a community and are therefore sacrificed with jail terms, say, or even death.

His speech included references to the death penalty, which he believes is used by totalitarian regimes as an "instrument of suppression of dissidents or the persecution of minorities. In the same vein, Francis deplored torture as a way to obtain confessions to crimes never committed, or not by the one being tortured. The use of torture among children and the elderly, who are thus often forced to make false denunciations or accusations -- usually in the name of national security.

Without mentioning any country, Pope Francis also deplored those who take the law into their own hands for pecuniary or power benefits. He did not mention mass graves anywhere, either, but the inference was there.

(Original source: El Mundo)